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I hope you read this

I hope you read this

Hey there,
Good morning and happy Sunday to you!

Last week’s newsletter created the strongest response to date from all of you in terms of feedback and emails (in fact I’m still digging out so thank you for your patience). And that’s what I’m grateful for this morning: YOU. All of you who are kind enough to take the time to read what I’m sharing.

And I’m especially grateful to all of YOU who take the time to share back. You keep me really going so thank you.

What are you grateful for as you read this? This is more than a question. It’s truly a gift to take a moment to answer so I suggest you don’t read any more till you really answer it.

…OK?

OK.

Last week’s newsletter asked the question, “What is your most limiting belief?” It’s an important question for anyone but especially if you’re someone with a dream because whatever “it is” it WILL limit you.

I’ve been pursuing my dream for twenty-nine years now. Along the way I have had the highest highs and the lowest lows and everything in between.

And a great deal of my struggles have been and are due to my limiting beliefs.

One of my favorite teachings is, “The only way out is through” and so through it I go.

I’m doing my best to address these things so I can step into the fullness of my gifts and my life.

“It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s quite another to pull it off.” … Sanford Meisner

Next week I head to LA to do my play, MEISNER (I am incredibly excited to bring the show back to the Playhouse West in Los Angeles. An extraordinary man and teacher, Robert Carnegie, founded the Playhouse. Bob has been a dear friend and colleague for years now and I’m so honored to share “Sandy” with his students – thank you, Bob!).

The play is not about the Meisner Technique. It’s about what it was like to be a student in Sanford Meisner’s class. What it was like to be in the presence of this artistic genius that demanded more out you than you ever thought you had.

It’s a play about courage and dreams and artistic integrity and standards and respect and work ethic.

Most of all, it’s the story of a teacher whose passion changed your life forever.

The play was written from my four years of notes with Sandy so I didn’t really write it. He did. I just wrote down everything he said during my time with him, filling fifteen notebooks of his teaching brilliance.
When it came time to create the play, I poured over these notes and intentionally omitted all of the teachings that only actors would appreciate or understand. I wanted anyone who came to be impacted by Sandy’s passion and life-changing brilliance.

I mention this not to promote the show but to get to the heart of todays topic – Sandy’s quote,  “It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s quite another to pull it off.”

His subtext was clear, “Good intentions aren’t enough. You must have your shit together to go after your dreams.”

This was news to me twenty-nine years ago. You see, I thought going after your dream was going to be easy.

Well, fairly easy anyway.

That’s what everyone kept telling me anyway, “Figure out why you’re here and you’ll never work another day in your life … the key to happiness is to figure out what you’d love to do and then go do it.” … blah blah blah.

What no one told me was how difficult, lonely, scary, intimidating, overwhelming, humbling, frustrating, and flat-out ass kicking – at times – it was going to be.

But I’ve learned how right Sandy was. To go after one’s dreams you really do have to be as healthy and solid as possible to hang in there “during the desert of your dream” as he once said.

But if you can face your stuff and keep doing the work on yourself then “they’re” right – going after your dream is the greatest life you can possibly live.

Next week I get to go to LA and live my dream. I get to share the fruits of my dream with a lot of people who have the exact same dream and I am so grateful and excited for the opportunity to be living mine.

On the back of my business cards it says, “How’s your dream doing?”

I’d like to leave you with that. How’s your dream doing? How’s your plan of action towards that dream? What are your beliefs limiting you? What scares you about it?  What are your biggest fears surrounding it?

Chop.
Chop.
Chop.

Keep doing the work on yourself because if your foundation is not solid this dream-chasing business will overwhelm you.

I don’t want that and neither do you.

I hope to hear from you.
Your friend,
Jim

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